


Stark-Rogers Superfamily

by Kat_Greenleaf



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Relationships, Canon-Typical Violence, Multi, Please Don't Hate Me, Superfamily, Superhusbands, TW- Some depression, Twins, Violence in Later Chapters, first of my stories for this fandom, maximoff twins, non-canon relationships, parker twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 20:50:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5840530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_Greenleaf/pseuds/Kat_Greenleaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter and Kat are the Parker twins, who were left to an orphanage as babies. They've grown up there and it's very much their home, but they long for a family. When a couple finally comes to adopt them, they are shocked to meet Tony and Steve Stark-Rogers. Now they must adjust to living among superheroes, and even becoming heroes themselves!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Twins Peter and Kat had been waiting forever. Literally. Their entire lives they’d been waiting to be adopted. It was hard knowing that they hadn’t been wanted by their parents and that no one wanted them, still. But they coped. It wasn’t like they didn’t have friends. They had friends, several that also lived at the orphanage. Like, Wade. Wade was a good friend of theirs, and so were the other pair of twins: Pietro and Wanda. 

They figured it would be a while before anyone adopted them. Most couples wanted kids that were younger, but Peter and Kat were fourteen – eighth graders. People wanted kids that they could raise and bond with, not kids that were getting to an age where they would want to be more independent. But maybe they would get lucky and be adopted before they graduated. Pietro and Wanda had been adopted, and Wade spent most of his time in the hospital anyway, so he might not get the chance to be adopted. But Peter and Kat were still stuck. They liked where they were. It wasn’t a bad place, but they wanted parents. 

“Peter,” Kat said one day while she sat sketching under a tree in the orphanage yard, “what are you doing?”

“Climbing the tree, what does it look like?” Peter snarked. 

Kat rolled her eyes, “Come down, I need you.”

Peter dropped next to her and slumped to the ground to look over her shoulder at her sketchbook, “What’cha drawing?”

“Superheroes. Do you remember what length Wanda’s hair was the last time we saw her and Pietro?”

Peter looked at the drawings again and saw that is was him, Wanda, Pietro, and Wade as superheroes. He smiled, “It was at the middle of her back. Wavy.”

Kat smiled back, “Thanks. You like it?”

Peter put his arm around his sister, “I love it. Wade’s doing better, I heard.”

“That’s good. Anything from Pietro and Wanda?”

“No. Maybe their parents just don’t want them writing? Want them to be part of their new family not their old one? The past can be hard to let go of.”

Kat shrugged, “I guess. I still wish they’d write.”

They sat like that for a while, Kat just putting the finishing touches on her sketch. The Avengers had just saved the city again a few days ago. The damage hadn’t reached as far as the orphanage, but it had been a scary day, cooped up in the basement with all the crying little ones. But it had been enough for Kat to be inspired by the heroes. She’d drawn her brother and their friends and the Avengers. Wanda – of course – was Black Widow, Pietro was Hawkeye, Peter was Captain America, and Wade was Hulk. Peter looked it over again and chuckled. 

“I don’t think Wade would enjoy being compared to a big, green… Hulk – even if he is really cool.”

Kat smiled, “I just can’t see him as Thor or Iron Man.”

Peter squeezed her, “Where are you?”

“Drawing it.”

“You should be Iron Woman.”

Kat laughed, “Yeah, no.”

“Aw, c’mon. Why not?”

“I don’t like drawing myself.”

“But it would look so good!” 

“No.”

They sat for a while longer, Kat shading and finishing up details. Peter asked if she would color it. She said no, pointing out that it wouldn’t look right to color over her shading. Peter shrugged and just watched as she flipped the page and started to sketch the same picture she just finished, but with the actual Avengers. Peter loved watch his sister sketch. She was so good at it, and it always looked very realistic. He couldn’t draw worth crap. He was better at the other stuff: math, science, etc. That’s not to say that Kat wasn’t good at that type of thing, but each of them had their strengths. 

It was about four o’clock when Ms. Cordova – their supervisor – entered the yard followed by two men. They were chatting and looking around, Kat and Peter only looked up for a moment before turning their attention back to the – almost finished – sketch of four of the Avengers. Kat was finalizing some of the details on the faces. She was working on Captain America’s face when three pairs of legs appeared in her peripheral vision. She raised her head and looked into the same pair of eyes she had just been putting the finishing details on. She looked down at the drawing and then back up at the face. Down again, up again. 

“Oh my God,” Kat whispered. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were standing right in front of her.

Peter nudged her and whispered, “Watch it.”

The men and Ms. Cordova laughed quietly. Steve extended his hand to the shocked teenage girl in front of him, and Kat let him help her up. Peter stood as well and put an arm around his sister to keep her from falling over. Talk about being star-struck. Peter was excited, too. He shook Tony’s hand and then Steve’s. Ms. Cordova was the first to speak. 

“Mr. and Mr. Stark-Rogers, these are our resident pair of twins, Peter and Kat Parker. I think they know who you are. I’ll let you alone to talk for a bit.” Ms. Cordova walked back into the building. 

The two pairs just stared at each other for a moment before Steve noticed Kat’s sketchbook and decided that it would be a good ice-breaker. 

“You sketch?”

Kat broke from her frantic thoughts and focused on the words to calm herself, “What? Oh! Uh, yeah. I’ve always liked to draw.”

Steve smiled, “Can I see?”

“Sure.”

Kat handed Steve the book and he and Tony looked through it, and especially over the last two. Tony was the first to say something. 

“You know, these are really good, but where are Thor and I?”

Steve nodded. 

Kat giggled, “Well, I was just drawing my friends and Peter and then a comparison.”

“Why aren’t you in it?” Tony furrowed his brow. 

Kat shrugged, “I don’t like to draw myself. Besides, there are no more female Avengers.”

Tony scoffed, “You could have been me!”

Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head, sending Kat an apologetic look. 

Peter put his hands up, “That’s what I said!”

Tony put a hand on Peter’s shoulder, “See? He knows what’s up.”

Peter and Tony started talking about whatever, and Steve handed the sketchbook back to its owner. 

“These are very good, Kat. I love the detail.”

“Thank you. That means a lot, coming from you.”

Steve frowned, “I would prefer it you wouldn’t think of us that way. I mean, we’re here looking to adopt and I don’t want my future children thinking of us like celebrities.”

Kat blushed, “Well, I understand. But I meant that it meant a lot because it’s of you.”

“Oh.” It was Steve’s turn to blush. “Sorry.”

Kat smiled, “It’s fine. I’m sure you get a lot of fans acting weird about comments you make.”

“Yeah.” Steve decided to change the topic of their conversation. “So, where do you guys go to school? What grade are you in?”

“We’re eighth graders, but we actually learn here. So there’s really no homework.”

“How does that work out?”

Kat sighed, “Well, they can work with us if we feel we need any help outside of school time and we only take the standardized tests unless they feel we need a test because we struggled with a subject and they want to know if we really understood. It’s fairly easy and I’ve passed every test I’ve been given so I don’t think I’m doing too bad.”

Steve chuckled, “I guess not. What’s your favorite subject?”

Kat had to think, “I don’t hate any of my classes. I’m taught well, so nothing is too hard. But I think all my arts classes: English and art. I’ve also learned how to play an instrument. Peter plays an instrument, too.”

“That’s great. What do you guys play?”

“I play cello, and Peter plays electric guitar. You wouldn’t believe the kind of stuff he’s got it wired to be able to play!”

“It’s like an electric piano,” Peter cut in. “I can make it sound like any instrument I want.”

“That’s awesome!” Tony exclaimed. “You have to show me!”

Peter led Tony into the building. Kat turned to Steve and they just looked at each other for a few moments. 

“I think you may have to adopt us,” Kat said, straight-faced. “Peter and Tony would never forgive you if you didn’t want to.”

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Steve deadpanned back.

They stared at each other for a minute or so longer before cracking up and following Tony and Peter. 

 

End of Chapter One


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming home for the Parker twins.

For the past two months Steve and Tony had been spending time at the orphanage visiting Peter and Kat, or had taken them out someplace to hang out and bond. The twins had even visited the Tower, where they would be living. They had visited a few schools, meeting teachers and checking out the campuses. They decided on Elanor Roosevelt High School and would enroll for their sophomore year. 

It was the 4th of June. Peter and Kat were finally going home with Steve and Tony. Each twin had maybe six to eight boxes filled with clothes, toys, pictures, mementos, and any technology they owned – including Peter’s amplifier for his guitar. Tony drove to the orphanage with a van – followed by Steve in a car – and loaded all of Peter and Kat’s things into the back. Kat and Peter tried to help, but Steve and Tony insisted that their time was better spent saying goodbye to the other kids. And it wouldn’t take long with Steve’s super-strength. 

When Peter and Kat had finished saying their goodbyes and shedding tears, they climbed into the vehicles with their new parents and watched as the orphanage disappeared behind them. Peter was riding with Steve and Kat was riding with Tony. 

“Excited, Miss Parker?” Tony asked.

“Yes. But it’s Miss Stark-Rogers, now,” Kat answered. 

Tony chuckled, “Touché.”

They turned on the radio and listened to some oldies music while waiting for traffic to move. 

“So what makes you most excited? The Tower? The fact that you’ll be surrounded by badass superheroes and SHIELD agents?”

Kat laughed, “No. I’m just excited to finally have a home and a family.”

“Did you ever think it would be a homosexual couple that adopted you?” Tony asked, cautiously.

Kat shrugged, “Well, no. I always pictured a mother and father. But since you and Steve are my new parents I don’t think I’ll have a problem.”

“Is it because we’re superheroes or whatever?”

Kat was offended, “No! You two are so fun to be around and are definitely the sweetest couple I’ve ever met!”

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“It’s fine. I understand. Steve did the same thing when we first met.”

Tony changed the topic, “You excited for summer break?”

Kat smiled, “Yes. It’ll be nice to have two months to adjust to a new home.”

“And to have to months to adjust to having two new kids in the house!”

Kat laughed.

They drove the rest of the way in companionable silence. When they finally got back to the tower, they realized that they’d lost Steve and Peter in traffic. Instead of waiting, they loaded some boxed onto one of the elevators and took them up into their correct rooms, depending on if they were Kat’s or Peter’s. 

Tony and Kat were able to get two loads up before Steve and Peter finally pulled into the Tower’s garage. They helped load and unload elevator-fulls of boxes, and the job was done faster. Once they had finished getting the boxes to the right rooms, they started to unload the boxes. Steve helped Kat set up her room and Tony helped Peter set up his. It took the whole afternoon, but everything was in its place by seven o’clock. 

To celebrate the successful move, they went out to dinner. Steve and Tony wouldn’t tell them where until they got there. It was a nice surprise when they pulled up to the Shawarma. Peter and Kat had never tried it and were very glad to be able to try some. They ordered and sat down, laughing and talking with each other. 

“I can’t believe you’ve never been here before,” Tony said, once they had gotten settled in the booth. “It’s great. I thought you would have heard about it and visited by now.”

Peter shrugged, “Well, it’s not like we’re able to bring ourselves. I suppose the real question, though, is why didn’t we come here sooner?”

Steve chuckled, “I guess we assumed you’d already been here. But this is a nice homecoming, ay?”

Kat and Peter laughed and nodded. Their food rang up at the counter and Steve went up to get it. When they all had their sandwiches everyone took a bit together, starting their first real meal as an official family. As they ate, they talked about Peter and Kat – mostly about their musical talents. 

“Kat’s the one with all the talent!” Peter proclaimed. 

“Are you kidding? I could never play guitar as well as he does,” Kat told Tony and Steve.

“She picked up that cello and we could hardly get her off of it. She’s amazing for an eighth grader!”

“Same with you and your guitar!”

Tony laughed, “I don’t think we’ve heard you guys play yet.”

Steve smiled, “Yeah, how about a demonstration when we get back to the Tower?”

Kat and Peter smiled. This would be fun. 

They ate and talked some more before heading home. Tony drove while Steve and the twins started singing whatever song Steve had decided to teach them from the 40’s. Something by Duke Ellington about not meaning something, and swing. He wasn’t really paying attention; it didn’t really matter to him. He probably should look more into the music Steve was familiar with, but right now the song seemed incredibly annoying. Like something that got on everyone’s nerves after a while. 

When everyone made it back to the tower, Peter and Kat pulled their instruments out to the family room. Peter hooked up his guitar to his amplifier and Kat tuned her cello. Steve got Tony to sit on the couch and wait for the kids to be ready. Peter and Kat were finally ready and got their new parents’ attention. Kat started, playing a piece she’d once played for a recital when she’d taken private lessons. Tony recognized the song as “You Raise Me Up” and Steve thought it was very beautiful the way she played it. When she finished, she gave a nod to her brother and Peter started to play the guitar solo from “Hotel California”.

Steve and Tony loved it and said they looked forward to hearing more from their new musicians. Then, both twins looked at each other and started to play the song Steve was teaching them in the car. Steve clapped his hands and laughed. Tony’s eyes widened and he stared at Steve who was still laughing as Peter and Kat continued to play. 

“Did you tell them to do this?” Tony asked.

Steve shook his head, still laughing. 

Peter and Kat finished what they remembered of the song and then looked to Tony and Steve. Steve was still getting over his giggles and Tony was smiling, trying not to laugh at his husband and new children. Peter smiled and Kat started laughing. It was humorous to see that their new parents enjoyed their little attempt at a joke. And they were proud of themselves for being able to pick up the tune so quickly on their instruments. 

By this time, it was about 9:00 and Tony and the twins were getting quite tired after their long day. Steve wasn’t tired because of his serum, but he knew he should rest. No one wanted to go to bed yet, though, so they put in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. It took about thirty minutes for Kat to fall asleep on Steve’s shoulder. Peter barely stayed awake until the end. Tony helped him stumble up the stairs and down the hallways to his room, and Steve carried Kat to hers. He contemplated whether or not he should take her jeans off of her to put her to bed, eventually deciding against it. But as he set her down on the bed she began to stir. She opened her eyes and stared confusedly around the room.

“Did I fall asleep?”

Steve chuckled, “Only about half an hour into the movie.”

Kat groaned, “I’ve wanted to see that forever.”

Steve chuckled, “I’ll bet. But you’ve had a long day. You should sleep, I’m sorry for waking you.”

Kat smiled, lazily, “I’m glad you did, though.”

“And why might that be?”

“I want to thank you.” Kat yawned. 

“For what?”

“Adopting us. Bringing us home. Making us part of your family.” Kat’s eyes drooped closed.

Steve kissed her forehead, “We were glad to.”

Kat smiled and mumbled something incoherent and fell back asleep.

Steve turned around and saw Tony standing in the doorway. Steve smiled and walked over to Tony. He put his arm around the smaller man and began to lead him down the hallway. 

“How’s Peter?”

“Mumbled ‘Goodnight’ and was out as soon as his head hit the pillow. I pulled his jeans off and covered him with the blanket.”

“Kat didn’t take her jeans off.”

Tony chuckled, “That’s because you didn’t help her.”

Steve blushed, “I was not going to pull off a lady’s pants!”

“Oh for God’s sake, Steve! It’s not like you would’ve done anything.”

“But I was uncomfortable and I didn’t want her to be. Besides, she woke up! What if she’d woken up and I had her pants around her ankles?”

Tony laughed, “I get it, Steve. Just don’t worry about it. But maybe you could help me ta-.“

Steve shut Tony up with a kiss and pulled him into their room. 

 

End of Chapter Two


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of school with the Avengers and their resident twins.

The summer had been great. Peter and Kat had had a chance to get to know all of the Avengers and become part of the family. They were slowly starting to call Tony and Steve by parent names: Dad and Pop – “Pop” by Steve’s request. They had also been given some training by Natasha and Clint over fighting and some martial arts. It had kept them in shape so Kat and Peter were ready for P.E. Maybe they would even impress some of their classmates. They were going to be attending the Elanor Roosevelt High School. It would take a while for them to get there every morning, but it was the school the family had liked the most. 

Today was the first day, and Kat was very nervous and excited. It would be her first time in a school building. When her alarm clock went off, she nearly fell off the bed in her surprise. And being tangled in her sheets didn’t help. She had showered the night before so she had a bit of extra time to get ready. She pulled out her favorite, long t-shirt, one with a “Lord of the Rings” movie poster on it, and a pair of skinny jeans. She pulled her black flats from her closet and slipped them on her feet before going down the stairs and into the kitchen. Summer had been nice, spending time with each of the Avengers and doing all sorts of things around town to occupy herself, but she was ready to try school. 

Peter was already at the kitchen table, not nearly as excited. He was not ready for summer to end. He really liked hanging out with and learning from Clint, and it had been great spending time with Bruce and Tony in the lab. He’d been able to add more settings to his guitar, so now he and his sister could play cello together. They had, in fact, tried it out and found that it worked. Sort of. There were a lot of things she could do with her bow to make notes different that Peter couldn’t do. But it was still cool, and Kat was very happy when Peter showed her.

Steve was also in the kitchen, cooking something on the stove. Out of habit, Kat went to the cabinet to retrieve a cereal box.

“No cereal,” Steve said. “I’m making breakfast.”

“Steve, Pop, you don’t need to. Besides, I still have to finish packing by bag. This is faster.”

“Tony and I already packed them for you guys, all you have to do is check it over. You have time. Sit down.”

Kat sat next to her brother. Peter was reading over the orientation packet they’d gotten in the mail – again. Kat snatched it. 

“Peter, you’ve read this a billion times. I’m surprised you haven’t memorized it yet!” Kat scolded. “You’re just going to stress yourself out.”

“And how much of it have you read?”

“All of it. Twice. You read it all the time!”

“Nuh-uh!”

“I see it behind the books you read. I’m not stupid.”

Peter glared. But it didn’t last long. Steve set plates of eggs and bacon in front of the twins. Kat and Peter stared for a moment before looking back up a Steve. Steve squirmed.

“Is it not right? That’s how Natasha taught me to make it.”

“It’s fine, Pop,” Peter said. “It’s just that you don’t normally cook breakfast and these are the best eggs and bacon I’ve ever seen!”

“You haven’t tried them yet.”

Kat took a bite of the bacon and then put some of the eggs in her mouth as well. She moaned. 

“Seriously, Pop, this is great. We’ll have to thank Aunt Nat for teaching you how to make this.”

“You’re welcome,” said a voice from behind. 

The twins turned around and saw Natasha standing in the other doorway to the kitchen. She sauntered in and put a hand on each of their shoulders. 

“Everyone’s here to say hello and wish you good luck. So eat fast so you’ll be ready to go out the door in time to deal with traffic.”

Peter and Kat ate their breakfast, wishing they had more time. They quickly brushed their teeth and checked over their bags. Steve and Tony would drive them. Peter, Kat, Steve, and Natasha stepped into the elevator and went down to the garage level. Tony was there – getting the car started up – and so were the rest of the Avengers. Kat immediately hugged Thor

“Be safe, Kat, do not let them harm you.”

“They won’t hurt me, I promise.”

Thor smiled and moved on to crush Peter in a hug. 

Kat hugged Clint next.

“Kick their butts in P.E. okay? Climb up the wall if you have to.” He grinned. He knew she couldn’t do that yet, but she was pretty sure he wanted to teach her. 

“I’ll do my best.”

Bruce was next, he held her tightly, “Have fun, Kat. Take care of yourself. It’ll be fun.”

“I bet,” Kat smiled and squeezed him back. “You have a good day. I know Dad’ll be insufferable without Peter there.”

Bruce chuckled and turned to wish Peter well. Kat moved on to Natasha, who hugged her.

“Now remember, make sure they all know you’re not to be tangled with.”

“I will.”

Natasha wasn’t one for a lot of words, and Kat moved on to the car. Tony was standing by the driver’s side door. Kat grabbed her backpack straps. 

“Guess I’m ready, Dad.”

Tony smiled, and waited until Peter and Steve had joined them. Tony pulled his camera out his pocket and took a picture of the twins. Steve opened the door to the back seat and Kat and Peter slid inside. Steve made his way to the passenger side of the car and Tony got in the driver’s seat. They pulled out into the street and braced themselves for New York City traffic. It would take them at least 20 minutes to get to the school. They talked on the way. 

“Ready guys?” Steve asked.

Kat took a deep breath and let it out, “I suppose. I’ve heard nasty rumors, but I don’t think it’ll be so bad. A lot of things people hear rumors about aren’t as bad as people say they are.”

Peter chuckled, “I hope so. Wade always said that the friends he made at the hospital hated school. I thought science and math classes sounded fun. Kat always liked the idea of a writing class.”

“Wait, I thought you had classes like that at the orphanage,” Tony stated. 

Peter shrugged, “It was mostly one-on-one with tutors or our supervisors. And it was mostly by the book. We didn’t do many hands-on project type things like they do in public schools.”

“I get it now,” Tony chirped. “You’ll have a lot of fun in science, then, Peter. They do all sorts of projects and experiments.”

“And Kat,” Steve began, “you’ll like their music and art programs. You learn quite a bit more in the art classes and it’s great to play in an orchestra. You do learn a lot more if you’re with a group of musicians.”

“I hope it’ll be fun.”

Tony looked in the rear-view mirror at his daughter, “What’s up Kat? You seem considerably un-excited.”

“Just nervous. I don’t want to be treated differently for any reason, and despite that, it will be weird being in that kind of school setting!”

Steve and Tony looked at each other before Steve answered, “If anyone treats you wrongly for any reason, you have the means to get ahold of us. You have the cell phones we gave you, right?”

Peter chucked, and Kat smiled and answered, “Yes, Pop. And I actually really like the fact that it’s a flip phone. It’s pretty cool.”

Steve smiled and Tony scoffed. He’d wanted them to have better models, like and iPhone or something. But Steve was adamant that they start with an older model so they could work their way up if they behaved. Kat and Peter thought it was fair, but Tony thought that Stark children should have better technology.

They made small talk on the way to the school. And Tony complained a lot about not being able to use the Iron Man suit to take his kids to their first day at school; how it would have been easier and faster than the traffic. Steve just shook his head and the twins laughed. When they finally pulled up to the school, everyone got out of the car. Steve and Tony stood on the sidewalk with Peter and Kat to see them off. 

Kat hugged Tony, “See you, Tony, Dad.”

“See you after, Kat.”

After Tony let go of Kat he grabbed Peter and gave him a noogie, saying, “Peter I swear if you give anyone any trouble – and girls – I will fly you up as high as you can tolerate and drop you and catch you five inches before you hit the ground.”

Peter chuckled, trying to pull away, “I get it, Dad!”

Tony let go, “Good. Have a good day.”

Steve pulled both kids into a hug, “Both of you be good to your teachers, they’re just not paid enough. And have fun.”

“We will, Pop,” Peter said. “Don’t worry.”

“I promise I won’t show up my art teacher, Steve, Pop,” Kat joked. 

Steve laughed and kissed her forehead. Kat kissed both her fathers on their cheeks and followed Peter into the school. Tony and Steve got back in the car and drove home, spending their first day in about two months without the twins.

 

End of Chapter Three


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer vacation is important after a stressful school year. Especially to Kat.

Kat slowly woke up from the dream she’d been having. She felt well rested and ready to face Monday. She pulled off her covers and dressed. She made her way downstairs. The lights came on as she made her way downstairs. Mornings like this were few and far in-between. Normally Steve or Tony was down before her and the lights were on and coffee was in the pot. But there was nothing. Her parents weren’t out on a mission, so where was everyone? And Peter was normally up by now, though he did sometimes have his slow wake-up days.

Suddenly JARVIS spoke, “Good morning, Miss Kat. You are up early.”

“JARVIS, it’s Monday. It’s the start of a school week. Where is everyone else?”

“It is the first Monday in June, Miss Kat. The school year is over.”

Kat froze. JARVIS was right. They had done their last final tests on Friday. School was over. Done! Kat sighed. She walked through the doorway to the den and flopped down on one of the couches. She looked toward the TV and said:

“JARVIS, please bring up all of the ‘Sherlock’ holiday specials. I finally have time to watch them.”

The AI did so and Kat watched Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman run around during the 19th century for three episodes – four and a half hours. It was about ten o’clock before anyone else made their way downstairs. Kat had finished her show about fifteen minutes prior, and was sitting in the kitchen – at the island – eating a quart of ice cream for her breakfast. 

It was Steve who found her, and he sent her a disapproving look.

“That’s not healthy, you know.”

“It’s summer, I’ll eat what I want. I no longer have anyone to impress.”  
Steve chuckled and poured himself a bowl of cereal. He sat next to Kat for a bit while they both ate. Steve finished his cereal first.

“So what are you planning to do with your week?”

Kat shrugged, “I don’t know. Chill, I guess. I don’t really have anything I have to do now that it’s summer.”

“Your fifteen now. Do you think you want to learn to drive this summer?”

Kat’s head shot up, her eyes wide, “Really?”

Steve smiled, “I could teach you. Or Tony could.”

“Peter, too?”

“If he wants to.”

Kat jumped up and hugged Steve around his shoulders, “Thank you, Pop!”

Steve laughed and pressed a kiss to the side of her head, “You’re welcome, Kat.”

Kat sat back down and happily went back to her ice cream. Steve smiled and cleaned up his dishes. Kat finished her ice cream and rinsed the carton before flattening it and putting it in the recycle. Steve was still leaning against the counter waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, so Kat stood next to him.

“And what are you planning to do with your week, Pop?” Kat asked. 

“I have some things I need to take care of at SHIELD. But then I have most of the month off. And that’s when I can teach you to drive.”

Kat nodded, “Cool. Dad doing anything?”

Steve scoffed, “Probably just working in his lab. He hasn’t had to do too much work since he made Pepper his CEO. I’m sure Peter will join him.”

Kat chuckled, "Most likely."

"And what have you been doing this morning?"

"Catching up on a show."

Steve raised an eyebrow, "Which one NCIS or Sherlock?"

"Sherlock."

"Were they any good?"

Kat laughed, "I liked them."

"Just don't spend all day watching television, okay?"

"I won't."

Steve kissed his daughter on her forehead, poured a cup of coffee, and went back to his bedroom to wake up Tony and get ready to leave. Kat waited a bit and went up to her room and grabbed her sketchbook before going back to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee and sit at the island. She looked over her sketches from the past year. She'd drawn everyone on the team, and even Maria and Fury. She compared them to some of her earlier drawings, and saw how much more detain she'd been able to put into her recent drawings because of all her time spent with the Avengers.

"What'cha doin'?" a voice asked from the kitchen door.

Kat turned her head to see Peter in the doorway. He was still in his pajamas. His hair was ruffled and he looked tired.

"I'm looking over my sketches from the past school year. You?"

"Getting breakfast."

Kat smiled as she watched Peter drowsily pour himself a bowl of cereal and try to pour milk on it. He sat himself next to his sister and looked over her sketches with her, marveling and how much better they'd gotten over the past year. They finally made it to the last sketch. Kat didn't turn to the final page.

"What's on the last page?" Peter asked, a little more awake.

"Nothing."

"Not nothing. Something. What is it?"

"Nothing!"

Peter snatched the book and looked at the last page. There was a sketch of him and the girl he'd been dating for a while: Gwen. They were sitting in the park, staring up at the stars together. Peter looked incredulously at his sister.

"You drew this?"

"Yeah," Kat said hesitantly. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No! It's great!"

Kat smiled.

"What's great?" Tony asked, drowsily making his way into the kitchen, followed by Steve.

"The picture I drew for Peter and Gwen," Kat answered.

Steve frowned in confusion, "I thought you weren't going to show it yet?"

"Peter stole my sketchbook."

Steve laughed, "Well, then Peter can take it to his date tonight."

Peter's eyes went wide and he made a "cut" motion with his hand when Kat turned to stare incredulously at Steve.

"What date?" Kat asked, spinning back around.

"Gwen and I decided to go out tonight so we could celebrate the beginning of vacation."

"But we were going to have a family night tonight!"

"Dad and Pop were alright with it!”

Kat turned on her parents, a tense Steve and a suddenly awake Tony.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought Peter told you!" Tony exclaimed.

"Peter, why didn't you tell her?" Steve scolded.

"I was going to!" Peter explained.

"When?" Kat yelled.

"Kat there's no need to raise your voice," Steve reminded.

Kat ignored him, keeping her attention focused on Peter.

"We do this every year! Why did you make other plans?"

"We've done that for fifteen years because it was a tradition at the orphanage. And this is a new home with new relationships in every sense of the word! I've only known Gwen for a few months!"

"I don't care if you don't want to stay!" Kat stood from her seat. "I just wish you'd told me!"

"I was going to tell you!" Peter repeated.

"When?" Kat screamed again. "When you were walking out the door?"

Steve put a hand on Kat's shoulder. Kat shoved it off and ran off to her room. Steve watched as she ran off and looked over at Tony. They both turned to Peter.

"Peter, you should've told her first. At least let her know you might not make it," Tony said, giving Peter a disapproving stare. "Nonetheless she shouldn't have reacted that way. Do you know what might have caused that?"

Peter shrugged, "She was stressed the past few weeks for finals. It's been hard and I guess she was letting it out. I didn't mean for this to happen."                                                                                                 

"We know, Peter," Steve assured. "Go out tonight. It'll give her some time to cool down."

 

End of Chapter Four


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spiderman. Spiderman. Does whatever a spider can.

Kat and Peter had made up since their little argument. It was later that summer and they had decided to go to a science expo. It would be fun for them both – Peter got to nerd out and Kat got to spend time with her brother where they were both happy to be somewhere with each other. They had just seen a demonstration of a robot and were moving on to the next booth.

“Kat are you enjoying yourself?” Peter asked. “I mean; this is my comfort zone but if you’re not liking any of it then we cou-.”

“Peter,” Kat interrupted, “it’s fine. It is actually really cool being here. I love seeing all the designs for the machines and all the chemical reactions have been amazing. I know I don’t understand a lot of it, but it’s cool to see. And I’m just glad to be out here with you.”

Peter smiled and put an arm around Kat. They walked to the next booth, which exhibited a presentation on how to safely dispose of nuclear waste. It was a cool setup, but viewers had to stand a bit back, on account of the actual radioactive material being used in the demonstration. Kat and Peter had been lucky enough to get the closest to the presentation before the next demonstration began. They were halfway through the demo when Kat saw something crawling on Peter’s shoulder. She looked closer and saw that it was a spider.

“Peter, hold still.”

“What?”

“Just hold still!”

Kat flicked the spider off Peter’s shoulder. It went forward and crawled into the grass. They finished watching the demonstration and moved on around the expo. It was late when they decided to get home.

They stopped by the nuclear waste demonstration one more time to that Peter could talk to the scientist who had presented. The same man wasn’t there, but there was a woman they could talk to. As they talked about the possibility of these scientists’ idea actually getting anywhere, Kat noticed something in her peripheral vision. She looked down and saw the spider from before climbing up Peter’s thigh, nearly reaching where he had his hand in his pocket.

“Peter!” Kat warned. “Peter there’s a spider on your leg!”

Peter startled and moved to brush it off, but it jumped on him and bit his hand before he shook it off and stepped on it. Peter looked at the bite. He looked over at the scientist and bid her a good evening, saying that he and his sister should get home but that he was glad to talk with her. The expo was a while from the Tower, but it was faster to walk than to brave traffic, and neither twin could drive yet, anyway.

They came to the final crosswalk. The walk sign was a hand, signaling pedestrians to wait. When it changed, Peter and Kat began to walk across. They weren’t prepared, however, for the car that cam squealing around the corner. It nearly hit them, but Peter pulled Kat into his arms and jumped into the air to dodge the car. He landed five feet to the right of where they had been standing. Ha carried his sister the rest of the way to the sidewalk and sat her down on the curb.

“Are you okay, Kat?” Kat just stared wide-eyed at her brother. “Kat?”

“How did you do that?”

Peter took a moment to consider what he’d just done. And looked around him at the people who were gawking at him. He turned back to his sister.

“How about we discuss this inside?”

“Sounds good.”

Peter helped Kat to her feet and they hurried inside the Tower. They ran into the elevator and Kat pressed the button for their family level. As soon as the doors opened again, Kat ran into the room pulling Peter with her and calling out:

“Dad! Pop! We need you! Now!”

Tony and Steve ran into the room. Both seemed completely ready to face blood and wounds, and relaxed considerably when they saw that neither of their children were bleeding out. Tony was the first to ask the question.

“What happened?”

“Peter saved my life!”

Steve stepped forward, protectively, “Why did you need saving?”

Peter answered before Kat could exaggerate anything, “A car came screaming around the corner – just outside the Tower! – and I picked her up and jump out of the way.”

“He jumped straight up into the air and over the car!”

Tony and Steve just stared for a moment. No one said anything more. Tony grabbed Peter and pulled him down to the lab, Steve and Kat hot on their heels. Bruce was still in the lab when they got there and so

Tony enlisted his help in running some tests on Peter. Tony shooed Steve and Kat out before locking the lab. 

Steve led Kat to the den. There, they turned on NCIS and watched an episode from the first season. But neither of them was paying close attention. Both were worried about what could have happened to Peter. As they were about ready to start the next episode, JARVIS came up and told them that Tony wanted them down in the lab. They hurried down the hallways and made it to the lab door. Steve knocked and the door opened almost immediately. Steve and Kat ran inside.

“So, what’s up?” Kat asked.

“We took a blood sample,” Bruce started, “and had JARVIS help analyze it.” He took a deep breath.

“Whatever radiation Peter was exposed to has affected him at a molecular level. He’s now stronger and more agile – kind of like Steve after the serum injection, just on a smaller scale.”

Kat looked confused, “But we were never close enough to be affected by the radiation, or I would have been modified, too.”

Tony turned to Peter, “Were you injected with anything, Peter?”

“No! They wouldn’t let the audience volunteer.” Everyone thought Peter sounded a little disappointed. 

Kat thought a moment and suddenly it hit her like a pile of bricks.

“Peter! What if it was the spider that bit you?”

“What?”

“It seemed like it would’ve been close enough to the radioactive material to be affected. Maybe it passed it to you through venom when it bit you!”

Bruce turned to Peter, “Where were you bitten?”

Peter held up his hand and showed them all his bite.

“Peter! You should have told us sooner!” Tony said, swabbing the area of the bite.

Tony rubbed the swab on a microscope slide and set it under the microscope leans. 

“Holy sh-.“

“Language, Tony,” Steve reminded. “What is it?”

Tony sent a small glare in Steve’s direction before answering.

“It’s definitely more affected than the rest of his body.” Tony turned to Peter. “I think the venom may have reacted with the radiation and passed the spider’s abilities on to you.”

Peter’s eyes went wide, “That is so cool!”

No one on the room could help smiling at Peter’s reaction, but Tony sobered up quickly.

“It would be cool, but we hope it doesn’t cause you to grow six more legs.”

Kat gagged at the thought. “When will all the affects come into play?”

Bruce shrugged, “It’s probably not instantaneous. Different components of the radiation will probably be revealed within the next month or so, judging by the rate it’s affecting Peter’s cells.”

Steve put a hand on Peter’s shoulder, “What else can you do besides jump six feet in the air, Peter?”

Peter shrugged, “I don’t know, I didn’t have time to try anything else.”

“Try climbing up a wall!” Kat suggested.

Peter shrugged and walked over to a clear wall in the lab. He put both hands on the wall, and then put a foot up. He pushed up as if taking a step, and found that he could scale the wall as if he was walking on the ground on all fours. He laughed and climbed all the way to the ceiling before crawling above his family’s heads. The adults stared wide-eyed and Kat full-out gawked – mouth open and everything. Peter then pushed off and landed on his feet next to Bruce. 

“That was so cool!” Peter exclaimed, pumping both fists into the air. 

Kat laughed out loud, “You really are a spider-man!”

“Yes!” Peter cried, throwing his hands in the air. 

No sooner had he done so than two white ropes shot from his wrists and stuck to the ceiling. Peter stared up in shock. Kat gaped. Tony, Steve, and Bruce’s eyes went wide. 

Tony was the first to come out of his stupor, “Well, ah, that was interesting.”

Bruce reached out to touch the ropes, “Oh my God, Tony. It’s spider silk. It real, actual spider silk!”

Tony stroked one of the ropes, “Jesus, you’re right! Pete, can you let them go?”

Peter released the ropes, and the two scientists were immediately all over the silk, pulling off samples to study. Steve took the kids and led them out into the commons room. Steve knew he had to talk to Peter about this early. But Peer beat him to it. 

“I’m not going to be allowed to join the Avengers am I?”

Steve sighed and then chuckled, “Not right now. We don’t know if the effects are temporary. Give it a few years, then we’ll see. Okay?”

“’Kay, Pop.”

Kat was a little proud of her brother. But she also felt a little pang of jealousy. Being an Avenger would be so cool. Too bad she was the only one in the family without powers or special training – or super-smarts in her Dad’s case. But that didn’t matter. She could help by just supporting them.

 

End Chapter Five


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kat doesn't deal with stress well.

School sucked, in Kat’s opinion. Especially her senior year. She was still single, and she was lonely. Her brother had been allowed to join the Avengers that year after he graduated early – perks of being a genius, Kat guessed. Peter now spent a lot of time training and with Gwen. They really were a great couple, and he saw her less than he saw his family. But Kat still felt like they were growing more and more separate. And with all her tests coming up – all the stress it piled on – she hated feeling left out. A recent flux in interstellar activity had all the Avengers on high-alert. Both of her parents and all the other Avengers were working all the time.

Kat had developed a routine. Wake up at four, finish homework from the day before, eat breakfast at six, say high to her dads as they go into the kitchen, get dressed, leave the Tower, walk an hour to school, survive the school day, walk home, grab something from the kitchen to eat later, do some homework, eat for dinner what she’d grabbed from the kitchen, do some more homework, and go to sleep by 8:00. It worked for her.

On days when Peter was not busy and Kat had very little homework, they would watch a movie together and Kat would stay up a bit longer than usual. Tony and Steve would join on days that they didn’t work late and hadn’t worked too hard during the day. But any of these days were few and far in-between. And coming to the end of the school year, Kat needed one of those days.

School sucked. But it wasn’t just school. It was all the tests. Kat’s homework load became non-existent, but the amount of stuff she had to study was insane. No, the amount of pressure she put on herself to study it was insane. She locked herself in her room for hours, working on papers and reading over her textbooks. She often considered calling on one of the Avengers for help. They were all intelligent; all had graduated college. But they were all busy training and researching. Kat didn’t want to be a bother.

But there came one day, the Monday of finals week. Finals would be much easier than all the other tests that were for graduation. But Kat was stressing out even more. She wasn’t thinking about how easy the test was. She was just thinking about how there were more tests to study for. She planned on spending another afternoon and evening completing study guides. She made it home as normal, making sure she grabbed some food before hurrying to her room.

Steve and Tony watched this, being home early. The Avengers had been told to take some time off, since they had been so busy for the past few months. Peter was taking Gwen on their first official date in months, and Steve and Tony had been looking forward to spending the evening with their daughter. But seeing her disappear like that without checking for the presence of anyone else made them reconsider their activities in the past few months. Had this become normal? They saw that Kat had taken quite a bit of food with her, and it was clearly not for a snack. But they knew she had things to do, so they let her be. It was only after they’d eaten dinner that they went to check on her.

They’d eaten late, so upon entering Kat’s room they found her sound asleep on her math book. Tony moved the book from under her head and Steve pulled a blanket over her. They were going to catch her tomorrow after school. Surely she had all the material practically memorized? Besides, she should have a day to rest her brain. Peter and Gwen could be there, too. They hadn’t spent time together as a group for a long time.

Peter, Gwen, Steve, and Tony were sitting in the living room when Kat came home. They had the TV on and were talking, so they figured she would notice and at least ask what was going on. But she did the exact same thing as the day before. Tony and Steve quickly followed her. They walked in just as Kat was settling down with her history book and study guide.

“Hey, Dad! Pop! What’s up?” It was fake, but she didn’t want to worry them.

“We have the next two weeks off,” Steve told her. “Tonight we’re doing a movie night. Gwen’s here, too. Wanna come join?”

“Oh. Um, I have to finish this study guide and one for English first.”

“That’s fine,” Tony said, “as long as you plan to join us for dinner.”

“I already grabbed something to eat.”

“It can’t take that long!” Tony exclaimed.

“It’s just in case!” she covered.

Steve was skeptical, “Well, don’t push yourself.”

“I won’t,” Kat lied.

“We’ll check on you later,” Tony promised before they left.

A few hours later, after two movies and dinner, Tony and Steve went to check on Kat. She had finished her two study guides, but was now working on another one for science. And there was one for math sitting off to the side, waiting to be done. Tony walked over and pulled her book and paper away from her.

“You said you were just doing two of them.”

“I saw that I had another couple to do,” Kat replied, grabbing for the book and paper.

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“All my other classes are art classes. Yes, I’m sure.”

“When do you have to turn these in?” Steve asked.

“Before I take the test.”

The blonde raised an eyebrow, “And when is testing?”

“Thursday and Friday.”

Tony and Steve shared a look. Kat watched them.

“Kat,” Tony started, cautiously, “you don’t have to do these all at once. You could do these other two, tomorrow. It’s a lot less to immerse yourself in at one time, and you can get in some relaxation time afterwards.”

“I was going to finish these and study other materials tomorrow.”

Steve frowned, “Kat you’re working yourself a little hard. Didn’t you already study all this for other tests? I’m sure you’ll be fine!”

Kat frowned, “Pop. Dad. I need to ask you to let me be to study. I have to pass these tests, and these study guides are specific to the tests and I know what I need to do to catch myself up on everything else. Please?”

“No!” Tony snapped. Kat stared.

Steve made the explanation, “Kat, we are taking a break for two weeks because we all have been working ourselves too hard. You need to do the same. You’re hurting yourself! If we had known sooner, we would have intervened sooner!”

Something inside Kat snapped, and she started yelling as tears welled up in her eyes.

“But you didn’t notice! You’ve been so busy that you don’t have time for me anymore! Peter has been working and spending time with Gwen! I barely see any of you anymore! I can’t even go out there and help you! You would let me though! Would you? Am I less qualified? Aunt Nat helps me train, already! I certainly have no one else to be around! I have no friends at school because everyone thinks they can’t touch me because of my parents! Because of you!” Kat pointed an accusatory finger at the two men in front of her as tears streamed down her cheeks. “No one wants to study with me because they think I’m some kid-genius who will show them up! But I need just as much help as they do! I can’t spend extra time after school for help because I need to get home so you know where I am! And when I need help I can’t ask anyone because you’re all too busy! If I don’t get those study guides and the extra studying done, I _will not_ pass the finals and it will be _your_ fault. _Now give me back my book!_ ”

Kat finished her rant and snatched her book back from Tony. But her hands were shaking so much that she dropped it and it landed on her foot. She yelped and bent down to pick it up. But she collapsed onto her knees and held her face in her hands, sobbing from stress and anger. Tony and Steve were shocked frozen for a few moments. Steve was the first to snap out of it, sitting next to Kat and pulling her onto his lap. She fought against him, weakly before letting him hold her as she sobbed into his shoulder.

“Oh, baby doll…” Steve breathed into Kat’s hair.

Tony watched them for a moment before sitting next to them and running a hand through his daughter’s hair. Kat cried and cried, finally releasing all her pent-up emotion while being comforted by her fathers.

“Papa!” Kat sobbed. “Papa… w-why ca-an’t you-ou just-t be ho-ome? Daddy! Da-addy… why-y?”

Tears made their way to Steve’s eyes as he held Kat. He should’ve been there for her. Tony say the distress of both his husband and daughter, so he pushed himself onto his knees and wrapped them both in his arms. They sat like that for a while. Finally, Kat calmed down and she was able to speak.

“I’m sorry, Papa. Daddy. I… I didn’t mean to snap like that.”

Steve gave a sad smile and wiped the tear stains from his and his daughter’s cheeks, “There is absolutely nothing to apologize for. You had the right to say what you said, and you needed it off your chest.”

Kat nodded.

“Come finish the movie with us and finish the study guide tomorrow?” Tony suggested.

Kat laughed, weakly, “I don’t know if I could stay awake!”

Tony smiled, “We just ask that you come and join us in the room.”

Kat nodded, “I can do that.”

And she did do that. She walked with her parents to the living room, where she was immediately wrapped in both Peter and Gwen’s arms. They were silent, but she knew what they would say and that was enough. They sat and watched Bambi. Kat fell asleep on Steve’s shoulder about three-quarters of the way into the movie. The others finished the movie and then Steve carried her to bed. He kissed for forehead and watched her for a few minutes before returning to the living room, from which Tony has disappeared.

“Peter, where’s Tony?”

“Dad went to the lab; he was muttering something about a suit. That’s all I know.”

‘Tony, what the hell are you doing?’ Steve thought.

 

End of Chapter Six


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graduation has it's advantages. Free time to take up whatever occupation you so choose.

Kat passed her finals with flying colours. She was going to graduate just fine. The ceremony was a week after school ended, and Kat was very excited. She was especially happy to find out that she was a valedictorian. She had worked so hard all year, and she was glad that it had paid off. Her parents and brother had greeted her afterward with the utmost excitement. Peter had wanted to hold her for hours. He was so proud of her. When Steve finally got ahold of her, he had to be careful to not crush her. He was so proud of her. Tony hugged her close and secure and murmured that he was so proud and that he loved her. 

“I love you, too, Daddy.”

Ever since her breakdown the week before, Kat had started calling Steve and Tony “Papa” and “Daddy”. They had smiled each time, pleased with the childlike intimacy of the monikers. 

There would be a party at the Tower that night with the rest of the Avengers and Gwen. It was a small party, though happy. Kat had asked that no one get her anything, but she suspected that Tony had gotten her something anyway. He had asked her Friday, the last day of school, for all her measurements. She had to retake a few of them, but quickly got a list to her dad. She figured that he was getting her some kind of outfit. Boy, was she in for a surprise. 

Tony had asked for everyone’s attention and led them all down to the lab. Kat wondered what was up, since everyone else seemed to know what was going on. Clint had a telltale smirk on his face. Thor was grinning the widest she had ever seen him. Bruce was clearly trying to hide his jitters. Natasha seemed cool, but she wasn’t making her classic “why the hell are we doing what Stark says?” face so Kat knew she was in on it. Peter and Steve were trying not to grin like idiots. 

Upon entering the lab, Kat’s eyes blew up to the size of sinner plates. 

There. 

In the middle of the lab.

Was an Iron Woman suit. 

Kat turned to face her dad, “Daddy?”

Tony smiled, “Fury has approved you.”

“What?”

“As soon as I teach you to fly it, you are part of the Avengers! Well, if Fury approves your training. But I’m sure he will, you’ll have the best teacher.”

Kat’s hands flew to her mouth. She looked around at her family. 

“Guys…” her voice cracked.

Natasha was the first to hug Kat, congratulating the girl on her graduation. Bruce was next, hugging her and petting her hair. She grabbed Clint and squeezed him, telling him that he had made it obvious that something was up. Kat hugged Thor, and he picked her up and swung her around. Kat gave Peter and Steve each a huge hug, thanking them both for letting this happen and not being too overprotective. She hugged Tony last, thanking him for giving her this opportunity. 

“You’re sure you want to do this?” Tony asked.

“Absolutely,” Kat replied, confidently. “If living with all of you has taught me anything, it’s that there are threats out there bigger than us and Earth needs to be protected. I would be part of that protection.” 

Tony smiled and hugged her again.

The first few weeks of Kat’s summer vacation were spent learning how to use her suit. It was easier than it had been for Tony, since she had someone to guide her and who knew how the mechanics in the suit worked. She’d asked about what she might need to learn about said mechanics for maintenance and other things, but Tony said he would take care of maintenance so she only needed to know some basics – which he was happy to teach her. 

Everyone else was working on research. They were coming close. It was a level power that closely resembled that of the tesseract. But the tesseract was still somewhere on earth, and the signals being received were from outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Thor was personally suspicious that Loki was up to something – he loved his brother, but he couldn’t deny that Loki could not be classified as a “good guy”. The Avengers took a break from their surveillance to watch Kat and Tony demonstrate the new Iron Woman suit. 

All the Avengers had gathered on top of the Tower, waiting for Kat and Tony to fly by. It was a few minutes before father and daughter flew up the side of the building and caused the Avengers to take a few steps back. Peter and Clint were grinning from ear-to-ear while the other stared open mouthed at how cool the two red and gold suits looked flying together. 

“Alright,” Tony said through the communications system to Kat, “try and take a few shots at the sky.”

Kat did as she was told and balanced herself before shooting three blasts up into the air. She had kept her balance perfectly and grinned at her success. She took the opportunity to look over and not to Clint. The archer understood and shot a few of his arrows into the air. Kat aimed, fired, and hit each one of them. Tony then motioned for her to follow him and they flew side-by-side over New York, causing civilians to look up and point and take pictures. They continued for a few minutes before turning back to the Tower. Tony landed and then watched as Kat made her almost-perfect landing next to him. She wobbled a bit, but she steadied herself and kept from falling over. 

Kat let her mask up and grinned at the Avengers, “So, how bad was it?”

Peter rushed forward and hugged Kat. “It was amazing!”

Steve was slower to follow but hugged her similarly, “You should work on your landings more, but the rest was great!”

Kat smiled, “I’m working on it.”

The rest of the Avengers congratulated her, and hugged her and all that good stuff before they started asking questions.

“So, what’s it like inside?” Clint asked.

“I’s actually not uncomfortable,” Kat answered. “The suit’s joints move with mine and it’s not constricting so it feels like a thick outer skin!”

“What’s your visual like?” Bruce questioned. 

“I can see out of the eye slots, but around the inside of the mask there’s a screen that can pull up anything I need it to: data on people outside the suit, the suit’s energy levels, video of what’s going on around me, and pretty much anything I want.”

Peter grinned, “Can you play video games with your mind?”

Kat grinned in return, “Yes!”

Tony let his mask up and faced her frowning, “And just when did you figure that out?”

Kat’s grin grew wider, “About two minutes ago.”

Tony rolled his eyes, but had to ask her a question, “Is there anything you need me to change about the fit at all? Maybe around the chest, hips, or head?”

Kat thought a moment before answering, “It’s fine around my hips and chest. But I would love somewhere to let my hair out. It’s sticking to my neck and chafing.”

Tony nodded, “I can fix that. Come down to the lab and take the suit off.”

Kat nodded and followed her dad to the elevator. Once they were in the lab and Kat’s suit was off, Tony got to work and Kat was free to do what she wanted with her afternoon. As she was leaving the lab, Tony’s remark followed her out the door:

“Of course, you could always get a haircut.”

Kat rolled her eyes and let the door close behind her. She made her way up to her room where she turned on her radio and pulled a book off her shelf to read until dinner. She was halfway into the first chapter of Fig Pudding when she was interrupted by a knock on her door. She bookmarked her page, turned down her music, and opened the door. Peter was on the other side. 

“Can I join you?”

Kat let her brother in and they sat on her bed together, just talking.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Peter asked.

“Do what?” But she knew what he meant.

“Become an Avenger. I mean, yeah, it’s rewarding in its own way. But I don’t want you to get into this and not be ready for it or willing after your first fight.”

Kat smiled at Peter, “I appreciate your concern, Pete. But I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t certain. I would rather be helping and adding to our chances than sitting at home or in a safehouse hoping that everything turned out okay. I can defend myself, and when I have a full grip on my suit I’ll be fine.”

“But what if you don’t have a full grip on your suit the next time we have to fight?”  
Kat laughed, “I’m not an Avenger yet, and I won’t be until Fury approves my skill. You don’t have to worry so much!”

Peter smiled, “I’m your big brother! I’m supposed to worry about you!”

“Only by a few minutes!”

Kat tackled Peter backwards onto the bed. They wrestled for a few minutes before Kat finally had her brother pinned down. She sat on his back, holding his arms behind him at strenuous – though intentionally not painful – angles. Peter tried to get free but found himself unable.

“Still feel the need to protect me?” Kat taunted. 

Peter laughed, breathlessly, “Okay! I get it! Let me up! Uncle!”

Kat let go and helped Peter sit up. He put an arm around his sister and she laid her head in the crook of his neck. They sat there for a moment, just being glad to have each other. The radio was still on and playing “Cinderella” by Steven Curtis Chapman. Peter hugged Kat tighter as he listened to the lyrics.

_“Cause all too soon_   
_The clock will strike midnight_   
_And she’ll be gone.”_

Peter hoped that Kat wouldn’t have to be “gone” anytime soon. 

 

End of Chapter Seven


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotional first day on the job.

Kat worked hard on her landings and getting used to the tech of her suit – which Tony had made the necessary changes to, adding a hole for Kat’s high ponytail. She was finally ready to show Fury what she could do. 

It was a similar demonstration to that which Kat and Tony had done for the other Avengers. But Kat was flying solo this time. She shot down some targets that were set up around town and flew in a few patterns that Tony had taught her. She was doing perfectly and it was quickly time for her to come in for a landing. She was nervous, but she took a deep breath to calm herself. She touched down on the blacktop that covered the top of the Tower. She looked Fury in the eye through her mask. He motioned for her to lift her mask and she did so. They stared at each other for a few moments before Fury cracked a small smile.

“Impressive, Miss Stark-Rogers. I had no idea Stark could be such a good teacher.”

Kat smiled, shyly, “Thank you, Director Fury. From both me and Daddy, um, Dad.”

Fury gave a short chuckle, “Welcome to the Avengers, Kat.”

Kat smiled widely, “Thank you, Director Fury. I won’t disappoint.”

“I know.” 

Fury and Kat made their way down to the Tower’s common room where the rest of the Avengers were waiting. Peter stood up as soon as the two exited the elevator. Fury held a straight face and Kat’s eyes were trained on the floor. 

Peter frowned, “Kat…?”

Kat didn’t look up, giving Fury the chance to speak. 

“I have reviewed Kat’s abilities,” Fury began. “I am not impressed.”

Steve stood up, ready to defend Kat. Fury put up a hand to silence anything the blonde might have said.

“I am not impressed,” Fury repeated. “I am blown away.” Tony and the other Avengers stood up at this. 

“Stark, she has learned well from you.” Tony nodded his thanks. “Have fun.”

Fury left.

Kat raised her head, showing off a huge smile. Peter rushed forward and pulled her into a hug. Kat hugged back and laughed into Peter’s shoulder. Tony was the next to hug her, saying he was proud before Steve grabbed her and lifted her into the air – suit and all. 

“I am so proud of you!” Steve cried. 

Kat squealed at the sudden lift and laughed at Steve’s exclamation. When he set her back down, she stood on her toes and gave her father a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks, Papa.”

They all went out that night to celebrate. They started at a local diner, everyone ordering some type of burger. They spent the rest of the evening around town just walking, talking, and admiring the displays in the store windows. There were several times that one of them wanted to stop in somewhere, so they all agreed to meet back at the Tower by ten o’clock. Eventually, it was just Kat and Steve walking together. 

Steve sighed, “I had hoped that we would all celebrate together.”

Kat giggled, “It’s fine, Papa. I’ve been spending a lot of time with Daddy lately and I haven’t seen you as much as I would like.”

Steve smiled and put an arm around Kat. They walked for a bit before coming across a dress shop. Kat looked in the window at the dresses. Of course, they were beautiful. She smiled. Tony had bought her several of these dresses for special occasions, but she couldn’t wear any of them anymore. She’d grown out of several of them, being a growing teenager. Steve looked as well, smiling at how Kat’s eyes took in the beautiful fabrics. 

“Do you want one?” Steve asked.

Kat’s head snapped to the side and she stared a moment before answering, “No. Daddy will probably make me get one for whatever event he hosts next. But I don’t want it right now. I don’t need it.”

Steve smiled, “That’s my girl.”

They walked for a bit longer before settling on a bench for a few minutes. The sun was low on the horizon; nearly gone. They watched it disappear.

“Are you proud of yourself?” Steve broke the silence. 

Kat smiled, “Yes. And I am glad I can help you protect our home.”

“I hope so. It’s not easy.”

“Papa, I know!” Kat groaned. “Peter and Daddy have said that, too.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I’m not going to break as soon as I walk into my first fight. I’m perfectly capable of handling myself!”

“Okay, okay!” Steve said, holding his hands up. “I’m sorry. But we worry about you. It’s because we love you, Kat, not because we think you’re incapable.” He put his arm around his daughter.

Kat leaned in and put her head on Steve’s chest, “I know, Papa. I love you guys, too.”

Steve sighed and kissed Kat’s head.

They sat there for a while longer before getting up and walking again. They stopped and got ice cream before turning around and making their way back to the Tower. They’d make it before ten o’clock, but it never hurt anyone to be early. As they made their way back they stopped a few times and looked in windows, pointing out things they’d like but never actually buying anything. They made it back to the Tower nearly an hour early. Kat went to her room and showered in her bathroom. She pulled on some pajamas before leaving the bathroom and was glad she did. Steve was waiting for her, sitting on her bed and looking at a picture of Steve, Tony, Kat, and Peter that Kat kept on her bedside table. It was from the day that Tony and Steve had brought the twins home. It was the four of them watching “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Tony had gotten into his security footage and taken the image. 

“What’cha thinking, Papa?”

Steve took a deep breath and looked up at his daughter. He stared at her a moment before smiling and wiping his watery eyes. 

“Papa?”

“We were so lucky to bring you and your brother home.” His voice shook.

Kat knelt in front of Steve. She set the picture back on her nightstand and took her Papa’s hands in her own, waiting for him to continue.”

Steve took another shaky breath before continuing, “When… when Peter first joined the Avengers, Tony and I were so worried. Kat, we were terrified. But we let him… try it out; let him fight without us being at his back the whole time. It was… hard – to say the least.” A tear made its way down Steve’s cheek. “Kat- “his voice broke and he tried again. “Kat, the first time he was injured you were scared, yes?” Kat nodded. “I promise you, it was ten times as worse for me and Tony. We berated ourselves for not protecting him and keeping him out of harm’s way. We were scared and it was hard to let him back out on the field.”  
Steve took a moment. He wiped his eyes again and pulled Kat up into his arms, “We’re scared to let you out there, too. We have only had you two for four years, but now we can’t imagine living without either one of you. Taking you out to fight our battle with us is….”

Steve couldn’t continue. He buried his face in Kat’s shoulder and just held her. Kat held her Papa tightly. She felt tears in her own eyes. She felt almost guilty. But she waited patiently. 

After a few minutes Steve pulled his head up. He touched his cheek to his daughter’s and they sat like that for a few moments before Steve pulled back and kissed Kat’s forehead. He looked her in the eye and spoke confidently. 

“I love you, Kat. And I am scared to let you be a part of this team. Tony is scared. Peter is scared. Tony and I are still scared for Peter sometimes! Well, all the time. I just... I need you to promise me something.”

“Anything, Papa,” Kat said, wiping the tear-stains from Steve’s cheeks. 

“You’ll watch your back and be safe. I can’t be there with you all the time, and neither can Tony. And we hate it. But please just promise me that you’ll keep yourself safe.”

Kat smiled weakly, “Papa, ‘safe’ is never leaving home. ‘Safe’ would be just watching out for myself and not the team.”

“Then just try to stay in one piece. I can’t lose you and Peter, baby doll.”

Kat smiled at the pet name. “I promise to try, Papa.”

Steve kissed her cheek and held her close. They were suddenly interrupted by a voice from Kat’s doorway.

“I thought we weren’t going to have this conversation without me,” Tony teased. 

Steve chuckled and released Kat so he could look at Tony.

“It just kind of happened.”

Kat stood and walked over to her dad. She pulled Tony close and hugged him tightly. 

“I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you, too, baby.”

“Hey! What about me?” Peter called from the hallway. 

Kat wrapped her arms around her brother and they held each other tightly. It wasn’t a minute before Steve hugged both of them, and then it took only a few seconds for Tony to join in. They stood like that for a few minutes. 

Kat felt safe. She had three men who loved her, and she loved them back. She knew that they would protect her at all cost and without regard for themselves. Okay, maybe the last part unsettled her a bit. But she hoped that they would let her prove herself when they had their next fight. She was a big girl; she could handle herself. And she wanted to show that she could keep her promise. She would keep herself as safe as she could. 

As long as she never had to see her Papa cry like that again…

“Wow, I never knew Kat could get this many guys in her bedroom at once!”

Of course. 

Leave it to Uncle Clint to ruin the mood.

“Barton!”

 

End of Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to be longer, almost two times as long. It's the climax of this story, so there will be one - maybe two - chapters after it. I hope you'll all like it!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They figure it out just in time for a fight to happen.

The signals hadn’t made any sense. Not the slightest. But Tony was determined to figure them out. It was mid-September and he was in the lab with Bruce, trying – again – to pinpoint the source of the energy. Suddenly, Bruce shot up out of his chair.

“Tony! We’re looking for the wrong thing!”

“What?”

“The energy isn’t like the tesseract! It’s like something we associate with the tesseract! We’ve been running the wrong kinds of scans.”

“How did we do that?”

“Probably pulled up the wrong file by mistake.”

“But that’s such an amateur mistake!”

“It happens sometimes.”

Tony put his head in his hands, “Well, what does it resemble?”

“Not resemble anymore.”

“What?” Tony really hated that Bruce wasn’t making sense.

“This is Loki. It’s Asgardian energy. He’s up to something again!”

Tony shot out of his chair and began to help Bruce modify the scans. As soon as they were finished, Tony texted the team and let them know what was happening. It took not five minutes for all the Avengers to gather in the lab. Tony gave them more details and they all talked about it, none too civilly, until one of the scans came up with a result. 

Loki was back.

And he was in New York.

_Again._

This time, though, he didn’t bring an alien race from the depths of space. He had with him a score of brainwashed Asgardian warriors. Everyone rushed to prepare for the battle that was about to begin. Kat was putting her helmet on when Steve ran up to her and pulled her into his snug embrace. 

“Watch yourself.”

“I will, Papa.”

As everyone made it out to the street – or the air in Tony and Kat’s case – they were met with the sight of rampaging Asgardians. Luckily, they didn’t seem so occupied with terrorizing the humans, Rather, they were intent to bring down the buildings. And they weren’t very good at it, either. They were attacking the structures from the top, down. Anyone knows that the logical thing is to take out the base and let the building fall. But, as always, the Avengers were glad for the little bit of ignorance that their adversaries had. 

Steve turned and addressed Thor, “How do we take these guys on without getting ourselves killed, or killing them if we can help it?” 

Thor surveyed them a moment before answering, “They are brainwashed, but I believe if we hit them hard enough over the head they may revert back to their previous state of mind. This will require hand-to-hand combat, and you must be aware at all times lest they strike you down.” He leaned in closer, “I do not suggest that Peter and Kat engage.”

Steve sighed and began giving out assignments. 

“Tony, you’re our air support. But keep it low. I need you to be close enough for your blasters to have enough force behind them.

“Bruce, when you Hulk out just try and smash their heads. I’m sure that with your strength it’ll be almost enough.

“Natasha, I don’t know how you’ll want to do this but watch your back.

“Clint and Peter, I want you guys to start moving the civilians out of this area. I don’t know how far you can get everyone but hurry. If you get them out of the way come back and join us.

“Kat, I want you all the way on top monitoring. Let us know if you see Loki or if one of us needs support. You’re our eyes.

“I’ll be on the ground with Natasha and Bruce. I suspect that the Asgardians will help us if we can snap them out of it. Let’s go!”

Everyone leapt into action, and Kat saw it all from above. She took a few shots when she saw it was needed. 

So far, Thor had managed to bring back one Asgardian. Bruce had Hulked out and had brought back two. The Asgardians were helping now, but there were still over ten of them that were under Loki’s control. Steve and Tony were having a hard time, neither of them matching the strength that Hulk had or that of Thor combined with Mjolnir. Natasha ran between all of the fights, doing her best to distract the Asgardians so that the boys could get in a few hits. The few Asgardians that were aware were also fighting. But as Kat watched, she realized that there was an easier solution to all of this.

“Uncle Thor?” Kat called into her comm. 

“Yes, Woman of Iron?”

“Can you use Mjolnir to strike the brainwashed Asgardians with lightning? Could that snap them out of it?”

“I think that might work.”

Everyone had heard through their communicators. 

“Do it!” Steve ordered, struggling with his opponent. 

Thor immediately began to swing Mjolnir, conjuring up a storm. He focuses the energy and struck the Asgardian warriors that were under Loki’s manipulation. They dropped like stones, unconscious. Kat pumped her fists in the air from her excitement. But it was short-lived. There was the sound of clapping behind her – slow, sarcastic clapping. She slowly turned herself around to face the roof of the Tower – and Loki. 

Kat sucked in a breath. The God of Mischief and Magic just chuckled lowly. 

“Fantastic,” Loki called to Kat. “All the others went straight to fighting.”

“So did I.”

“Ah, but you were only helping; analyzing. You saw a quicker way out. Even Stark did not think of this.”

“He was a bit busy.”

Loki chuckled again, “And he still is, yes?”

Kat looked at her screens. Indeed, her parents and Natasha were gathering up the unconscious Asgardians while Thor spoke with the conscious ones. 

“Maybe.”

Loki smiled and moved his wrist. Kat jerked forward and fell on the roof, hard. The backplate of her armor popped off from the impact. Kat pulled herself up and faced the god.

“Son of a bitch.”

“Ooh!” Loki made a face. “Do you kiss your father with that mouth?”

Kat froze for a moment, but recovered herself, “That’s not the saying, I’m afraid. Didn’t you do your research before coming to attack our planet. We can’t take you seriously if you don’t threaten us properly.”

Loki grinned, like the Cheshire cat.

“But you don’t have a mother, do you?” Kat froze again, making Loki smile wider. “You never had a mother. She abandoned you and your brother to die on the streets. You were lucky, having been taken in. No one wanted you.” Kat’s blood started to boil. “Does anyone, really? Why did they adopt you, hm? Why let you join their team? Because they felt sorry for you?” Kat felt tears beginning in her eyes. “You have no powers. Nothing that makes you special. Even Stark is perhaps the most intelligent man on the planet. You? What do you have? A suit your ‘Daddy’ built for you? And look. It’s already breaking apart. Daddy must not have been too concerned with your safety. Or perhaps- “

He got no farther before Kat charged him. She propelled herself forward in the suit and made to ram Loki off the building. But she made the mistake of underestimating the god. He took hold of her gauntlet and spun her around, throwing her back onto the roof. The gauntlet stayed in Loki’s hand and the rest of that arm fell away as Kat crashed into the roof. She stood up and faced the god.

Loki still had a satisfies smirk on his face, “Was that enough research for you?”

Kat ran forward again. She managed to get one hit in before Loki ripped off her helmet and threw her back onto the roof. 

~

Steve and Tony looked up as they were joined by Peter and Clint. 

“How’s Kat?” Peter asked. 

Steve looked around. She hadn’t landed. He looked up. She wasn’t in the air, either. He tried to reach her comm, but it had disconnected. 

“Tony! I can’t get ahold of Kat!”

No sooner had he said this than a strange voice came through the system. 

“Would the Captain and Stark please come join me on the top of their Tower. I believe I have found something of theirs.”

Tony and Steve immediately recognized the voice. Steve signaled for the rest of the Avengers to stay back, but to be on guard. Tony flew Steve up and both stood on the opposite side of the roof from Loki. No one said anything for a moment. Tony and Steve were too shocked. Armor littered the roof, and an iron suit helmet lay off to the side, half intact. Steve’s heart was quickly grasped by cold fear. Kat…. Where was Kat? Tony’s eyes were already on her, and Steve soon saw as well. 

Loki held the girl against his chest. He used on hand to hold her arms behind her back and the other was resting over her throat. He began to walk forward, stopping halfway across the roof. There, Kat’s parents could clearly see the extent of her injuries. She was not putting weight on her left leg, leading them to assume that it was injured in some way. Her arms were both scraped and bleeding through the under-suit she was wearing, and so were her legs and face. She did not look as though she’d been hit, but rather had skidded across the pavement several times. 

Kat could not meet her parents’ faces. She was afraid of what she would see. 

Tony was angry. How dare this person touch his little girl. It was outrageous. Not only that, but he’d drawn her blood, which made his own boil. Steve was not faring much better. The fear still froze his chest, but everything else was burning. Burning with intense hatred. He felt as though he might burst into flames at any moment. Both of them nearly lost it when Loki’s hand tightened around Kat’s throat. The blood flow to her head was slowed by the god’s large hand. She felt the pressure in her face, and her parents watched it turn red.

“She’s a beautiful girl, Stark. It’s a shame she’ll have expired.”

Steve tried to walk forward, “You take your hands of my- “

Tony put his arm out and stopped Steve from going any farther. When Steve had moved Loki had tightened his hand around Kat’s throat. The pressure she was feeling was unbearable. Dark spots began to float in front of her eyes and she quickly lost consciousness. 

As soon as he felt Kat’s body go weightless, Loki let go of her throat and pulled her up in her arms to hold her bridal style. That set Steve and Tony off. They rushed forward. They had no plan. No course of action in mind. They just needed to be where Kat was. But Kat wasn’t there. She and Loki had vanished into thin air. They spun around and saw Loki standing by the edge of the roof, Kat still in his arms. He smiled at Steve and Tony.

“Say goodbye.”

He then turned and tossed Kat off the side of the roof; then he disappeared to hide again. 

Tony wasn’t sure who screamed. Was it him? Steve? Both of them? He didn’t much care. All he did was run forward and jump off the building after his daughter.

~

Peter was perched on the wall of a building opposite of the tower. He didn’t know what was happening. All he could see was his parents’ backs. He watched as they suddenly ran forward, and then as Loki appeared where they had been standing. Kat was in his arms, obviously unconscious. Peter felt anger begin to make its course through his veins. How dare that man – god, whatever – even lay a finger on his sister! His heart stopped for a moment when Loki dropped Kat over the side of the building. 

Peter quickly shot out a web, attaching himself to the Tower. He swung across the street and fired another web to catch Kat as he went. As soon as he was attached to the Tower wall, he fired another web at Kat, reinforcing the first. He pulled her towards himself and scaled the Tower back down to the ground. He sat on the ground and held Kat in his arms. She was bloody from scrapes that covered her face, arms, legs, and even some of her chest and back. She was unconscious, but breathing. Peter felt like crying. 

The other Avengers crowded around. Thor had to avert his eyes, but Natasha and Clint couldn’t take their eyes away. Hulk was off to the side, much less calm than he was only a few minutes ago. 

Tony landed with Steve. He’d seen Peter catch Kat and flown back up to get Steve. The two knelt in front of their children. Tony looked Kat over and something suddenly hit him. Kat shouldn’t have been out this long if all she had passed out from was loss of blood flow to her head. 

“JARVIS, how long has Kat been unconscious?” Tony’s voice shook.

“Almost five minutes, sir.” That was two minutes too long. 

“Shit.” Tony turned to Clint. “Is the hospital still open? It wasn’t within the evacuation radius?”

“It’s still open and there are still doctors inside,” Clint confirmed. 

Tony grabbed Kat from her brother and quickly flew her to the hospital. She should have woken up again two or three minutes after losing consciousness. It was dangerous otherwise. 

Steve watched Tony go. Tears welled up in his eyes. Damn it. Damn it all! This shouldn’t have happened! Why didn’t Kat warn them? He ripped his helmet off and slammed it to the ground. He buried his face in his hands and tried to calm himself. 

“Pop….”

Steve looked up and saw Peter in front of him, the most worried look on his face. Steve reached out a hand to cup his son’s cheek.

“Peter… are y… are you…?” Steve couldn’t keep his voice steady. 

“I’m unharmed, Pop. I missed all the fun.”

Steve pulled Peter into his arms and held him tight. Peter matched the embrace. Steve’s breath shook. At least one of them was safe. He’d been able to keep one of them safe. But not the other….

“It’s my fault….” It came out as a whimper.

“No, Pop. We’re not going to play the blame game. It’s not your fault.”

“Peter… I shouldn’t have had her up there. She should have been fighting with us she shouldn’t have- “

“Stop!” Peter yelled. He put his hands on Steve’s shoulders, and looked his father in the eye. “Pop, it’s not your fault. It was her first fight! That’s nerve-wracking. My first assignment, I would have had something similar happen if we all hadn’t been in a group. She couldn’t be in a group this time. It was circumstance.”

“Pete… I….” Peter raised an eyebrow at Steve. “You’re right. Okay. I’ll stop.”

“I hate to break up this wonderful moment, but we should get to the hospital. I’m sure you’ll all want to know how she is.”

It took them nearly half an hour to get to the hospital. Once there, they had to wait about an hour to see her. When they were finally let in, Kat’s family never left her side. All seven of them stayed all night while Kat slept. 

 

End of Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more after this, guys!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End

They had all left one by one the next morning. The doctor had told them that they had put Kat out for a while so that she could sleep and recover a bit more before having company. He assured them that she would be safe. Thor had been the first to leave, preoccupying himself with finding his brother. Bruce soon followed, needing to go home and clean up. Clint and Natasha left soon for the same reason. But Tony, Steve, and Peter stayed for most of the morning. Peter had fallen back asleep with his head resting on the side of Kat’s hospital bed. Tony had taken the young man home so that he could clean up, and Tony needed to put the suit away. 

“Steve, babe, you coming?” Tony asked, quietly.

Steve shook his head, “I don’t want her to wake up and be alone. I’ll stay for a while longer.”

Tony smiled at his husband, “We’ll be back soon.”

Steve smiled back, “See you then.”

Steve waited for another hour before Kat finally woke up. She was disoriented for a moment, but when she saw her Papa sitting next to her, half asleep, she smiled. 

“Good morning.” Her voice was scratchy, but she was glad to use it.

Steve’s head jerked up, “Kat….”

“Hey, Papa. Did we win?”  
She said it so calmly, so simply. So impassively. It brought hot tears to Steve’s eyes. How dare she. How dare she. She couldn’t just blow it all off like that. Her wrist and ankle were in casts. She was literally covered in gauze. She’d been thrown off a building for Christ’s sake! And all she did was sit there calmly and ask dumb questions!

Steve was suddenly aware of the fact that he was standing on the other side of the room, and that the chair he’d been sitting on was tipped over. At first he thought he’d had an inner monologue, but the look on his daughter’s face made him realize that he had, in fact, said it all out loud. 

Kat’s eyes were wide, and they had tears of their own as she asked, “He threw me off the Tower?”

Steve rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her. 

“I’m sorry, baby doll. I didn’t mean to snap.”

Kat held him tightly with her good hand, “I know, Papa.”

Steve just held her for a while. He didn’t want to do anything else. She was safe now, and that was all that mattered – to him anyway. It wasn’t long before Kat started asking questions. Steve told her to wait for Tony and Peter to return because they would want to help answer her questions. The two men in question soon arrived, and were delighted to see Kat awake and well – as well as she could be at that moment. Peter hugged her as tightly as he dared. Tony settled for a kiss on her cheek, knowing that she would receive enough doting between Peter and Steve. 

“So, what happened after I blacked out?” Kat asked, once her father and brother were settled in. 

Tony sighed, “He- he taunted us, and we tried to get you from him. But he, I’m not sure what it is he actually does. He teleported to the side of the building, tossed you over the side, and then he disappeared. I tried to follow you, to catch you. But Peter already had you safely on the ground, so I flew back up to get Steve.”

“I saw you go over,” Peter explained. “I didn’t know what was going on up top. Dad and Pop could have been busy, so I caught you and brought you down to street level. Pop and Dad were down soon enough, but you weren’t waking up so Dad flew you here while the rest of us followed.” 

“Papa?” Kat asked. 

Tears were in Steve’s eyes as he explained, “It was the scariest ten seconds of my life. I didn’t know if Tony would catch you. A million different scenarios ran through my head about how terribly it could have gone. Tony came up and told me that Peter had caught you and I nearly lost it. Tony flew us down and then flew you off almost immediately. I… I blamed myself.”

“It wasn’t your fault Papa. I should have told you that he was up there. He just… got to me a little.”

Tony and Steve frowned.

“What did he say?” Tony asked. 

Kat couldn’t up at their faces as she explained, “He was saying that you didn’t want me.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Steve was becoming very angry with the god.

“He said that there was nothing special about me. That I was only allowed to join the Avengers because you all felt sorry for me. That Daddy made me a suit because he had to since I have no powers.”

“I don’t have any powers,” Tony said. “I have a suit. I don’t see the difference.”

“You’re a genius, Daddy. You’re quite possibly the smartest man on the planet! I had a hard time passing high school.”

Steve held his daughter’s good hand, “Kat. We love you. That’s why we adopted you and Peter. And we have grown as a family – all of the Avengers, even, not just the four of us. You are important to all of us and we wouldn’t let you join the Avengers if we didn’t think you weren’t needed or wanted.”

“Sis,” Peter jumped in, “you may not have powers or superhuman abilities. And you may not be a genius. But you have good common sense and you sure picked up skills from Uncle Clint and Aunt Nat faster than I ever could.”

“Kat, baby. You picked up on how to use that suit so fast that it made my head spin. You may not understand all the mechanics or science behind it, but you pick up on things very quickly. You have good instincts and reflexes. And we are all lucky just to have you in our family, much less our team.”

Kat smiled, “I love you guys, too.”

They all sat for a few moments, silently enjoying each other’s company. 

Tony finally broke the silence, “Well, the first thing we’re doing when we get you home is catching up on NCIS. I don’t think any of us have had time to watch this, or last year’s seasons.”

Kat and Peter laughed while Steve shook his head. But they all agreed that it sounded like some nice family time. 

 

End of Chapter Ten

 

End of Stark-Rogers Superfamily


End file.
